How To Clean Your Kitchen

Whether you work in the office or from your home, you lead a busy life. Nonetheless, you don’t want the room where you prepare meals for yourself and your family to be unsanitary or unsightly. That means you have to dedicate some time and energy to cleaning the kitchen.

Below, you’ll find the basics in terms of kitchen cleaning, as well as the housecleaning services you can expect from professional cleaners like Merry Maids.

CLEANING THE STOVETOP

If you cook a lot, you’re probably very familiar with the residue that can accumulate as a result of spills and splatters. Left unchecked, this residue can collect dust and food particles, and is eventually very difficult to remove. To keep build-up to a minimum, wipe down stovetops and drip pans with a damp microfiber cloth every time you cook—after the stove has cooled, of course. You may also want to consider running your drip pans through the dishwasher on a weekly basis. And while Merry Maids professional cleaners can’t be on call for cleaning the stovetop each time you prepare a meal, we do offer range-top cleaning in our housekeeping services.

CLEANING THE OVEN

Self-cleaning ovens are a breeze. You let the oven run its cleaning cycle and wipe the resulting ash out with a damp cloth once the oven has cooled. However, if you don’t have a self-cleaning model, Cleaning the oven can be quite the chore. In fact, you’ll want to schedule a block of time to scrub your oven, the racks and the doors. If this task doesn’t fit into your housekeeping time budget, many Merry Maids local offices provide special housecleaning services, including cleaning the oven.

CLEANING THE FRIDGE

Cleaning the fridge is another chore that qualifies as a special housekeeping occasion. The process is time consuming, as you have to remove the items from your fridge and wipe down one shelf at a time. Additionally, racks and bins need to be taken out and washed in the sink. As with cleaning the oven, you’ll need to plan for cleaning the fridge, and dedicate a chunk of time to completing the task. Many Merry Maids local offices also offer fridge cleaning as a special housekeeping service, so there’s no need to deal with a dirty refrigerator if your schedule doesn’t have enough breathing room for a large chore like this.

CLEANING THE CABINETS AND COUNTER

As with most items in the kitchen, the key to maintaining clean cabinets and shining countertops is cleaning frequency. Cleaning the surfaces regularly can do wonders in terms of keeping grimy build-up at bay, and in ensuring your counters are sanitary enough for preparing meals. Naturally, professional cleaners like Merry Maids will make sure these surfaces sparkle during routine housekeeping visits. And some offices will even thoroughly scrub out your cabinets for you, though that is considered a special housecleaning service.

CLEANING THE SINK

The kitchen sink is a catch-all for dirty dishes, lost pieces of onion and splashes of soured leftovers that have been fed to the disposal. But if dishes and food scraps pile up, you’re left with an unhealthy and unattractive mess that can become downright stinky. Get in the habit of cleaning dishes or loading the dishwasher right after meals. Toss scraps into the garbage and wipe down your sink after you use it. And don’t forget to give the sink some extra love during your regular housecleaning. No worries, if you do forget. Our Merry Maids professionals will be glad to make that sink shine during a routine housekeeping visit.

CLEANING SMALLER APPLIANCES

Cleaning smaller appliances is a task that’s often overlooked, as it’s easy to tuck the blender base into a cabinet while it’s still caked with dried smoothie ingredients. But that’s just not hygienic, so try to get in the habit of wiping appliances down before you stash them away. You should also regularly wipe any small appliances you keep on your countertop, as they can collect dust and cooking residue even if you don’t use them that often. They are easy to forget about, though. Fortunately, cleaning smaller appliances on your countertop is a task that the professional cleaners of Merry Maids are happy to remember for you.

For a detailed breakdown of the best ways to clean your kitchen, check out our kitchen-cleaning checklist. And if you prefer to let professional cleaners handle your housekeeping, contact your local Merry Maids office. We’ll be happy to keep your kitchen sparkling for you.